Towards the end of a Game 6 elimination loss to the Pacers, cameras caught Bucks guard Patrick Beverley angrily throwing a basketball into the stands, which ended up hitting an innocent girl who was sitting in the crowd.
Then after getting the ball back, Beverley seemingly didn’t hit his intended target, so he threw the ball back into the audience once again.
“It doesn’t matter who he was trying to hit, you can’t hit no lady ever. He hit that lady in the head.” Charles Barkley said on the TNT Inside The NBA postgame show. “I’ve done stupid stuff, and I’ve got criticized. That’s just wrong, he’s going to get suspended for that. And that’s going to be a good one too, because he didn’t just do it once, he did it twice.”
altercation between pat bev and pacers fans behind the bench pic.twitter.com/dfQpqSBv33
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) May 3, 2024
It didn’t end there, as the 35-year-old Beverley continued to let his emotions get the best of him. Following the game, when being interviewed in the locker room, the 12th-year player had an uncomfortable interaction with ESPN reporter/field producer Malinda Adams.
Beverley told the ESPN reporter that she couldn’t interview him during the media session, and here is how the exchange went:
Beverley turned to Adams, “You subscribe to my pod?
Adams responded, “Do I subscribe?… I do not.”
Beverley stated, “You can’t interview me then, no disrespect.”
Adams then tried to sneakily put the mic near him for the rest of the interview, which Beverley saw and again scolded her, telling her to get the mic out of his face.
“Move that mic please or just get out the circle please for me, please ma’am, if you not subscribed to my pod.”
Apparently, in order to talk with Beverley, it is a requirement to subscribe to his podcast, “The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone.”
this is unfortunatley nothing new beverley has refused to talk to any of us in milwaukee who do not subscribe to his podcast since he arrived at the trade deadline https://t.co/SXbJUpd3iE
— jack maloney (@jackmaloneycbs) May 3, 2024
After the backlash, Beverley took to social media to reply to a video that showed him firing the ball into the stands. He called the video misleading.
As Beverley tweeted on X, “Not Fair at all. Exchanged between a fan and our ball club all night. We warned and asked for help all night. Not fair.”
Beverley then later tweeted an apology in the morning saying, “But I have to be better. And I will.”
The reporter who wasn’t subscribed to Beverley’s podcast also confirmed the player’s personal apology, and she gave out a forgiving statement to give closure on the situation.
I want to thank everyone for their kind words and support. I am humbled. Patrick Beverley just called me and apologized. I appreciate it and accept it. The Bucks also reached out to apologize. I've been in news for over 40 years and kindness and grace always win.
— Malinda Adams (@MalindaAdams) May 3, 2024
Nevertheless, despite the apology, ESPN still decided to ban Beverley from future guest appearances on any of the network’s shows, due to his rude behavior. As a result, Beverley will be able to put all of his time and focus into his own podcast.
Beverley, who was acquired via trade from the 76ers earlier this season, saw his role increase this postseason, being that Bucks’ superstars Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard were each dealing with injuries. In his ninth season appearing in the NBA playoffs, Beverley averaged 8.2 points (41% FG; 36.4% 3PT), 5.5 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 35 minutes per game.
The NBA has yet to announce the suspension length or fine amount for Beverley, who has been suspended twice before throughout his career; undoubtedly, action will be taken against him for his overall conduct, as this is also a repeated offense. To point out, this is not even the first time that Beverley has gotten in trouble for throwing a ball at a fan in the crowd, as he also did it when he played for the Clippers during the 2019-2020 season (October 22, 2019, vs. Lakers), and he was fined $25k for it.
Furthermore, one game later from when this incident occurred (October 24, 2019, vs. Warriors), Beverley famously said to Stephen Curry, “You had the last five years, the next five years are mine.”
Well today marks the end of Pat Bev’s guaranteed “five years of dominance,” that he declared back in 2019. Here are how the past five seasons ended for Beverley: 2020- blown 3-1 lead; 2021- WCF; 2022- 1st round exit; 2023- missed playoffs; 2024- 1st round exit.
As for the reason why Beverley lost his cool at the end of the Thursday night game in Indiana, it has been alleged that it stemmed from a fan antagonizing him by teasing he would go on vacation to Cancun after the series loss.
Sources: The exchange between Patrick Beverley and one of the fans in Indianapolis escalated when the Bucks were breaking huddle Thursday night, and the fan yelled, “Cancún…Cancún on 3.”
NBA is looking into Beverley’s exchange with fans in game and media postgame, per source.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 3, 2024
To note, the third-seeded Bucks were unable to overcome the sixth-seeded Pacers all year, as Indiana had a 4-1 head-to-head record during the regular season, including a win when the two teams faced off in the In-Season Tournament, Eastern Conference semifinals matchup. Then ultimately, the Pacers sent Beverley and the Bucks into an early offseason trip to Cancun after winning 4-2 in the first round of the playoffs.
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